'Dexter' recap, season 7 episode 3, 'Buck the System'

Even for Dexter, there was a lot of aggression tonight. The death total is up to four, with the two imagined killings by Dexter of the post-woman and Masuka, Louis' murder by the Ukrainian mobster, and the waitress who was killed by Speltzer.

Deb was almost killed by Speltzer and a random felon was almost strangled by Dexter. Maybe someone should go to therapy. Any one of them, really.

Because, to put it bluntly, what's happening now isn't working out for anyone.

Deb almost gave Dexter's Dark Passenger approval. After bemoaning how she was trying to help Dexter, how she didn’t believe in the Code and how she had a better way, she is annoyed about his instincts on Speltzer, the recently released killer. She fights Dexter even on this, despite Dexter knowing murderers like back of his hand. Literally, since those are some pretty dangerous hands.

Meanwhile, we the audience are left clinging to the edge of our seats (or trying to peak through our hands) as first the waitress enters Speltzer's house and then Deb does. It's like a bad horror flick where the cheerleader opens the door into the basement, walking into the arms of the waiting killer.

"Don’t go in there!" But despite how I scream, my TV refuses to listen.

Deb finally listened to Dexter that Speltzer might kill again, but does she ask the uniformed officers to stay on his house? No. Does she call for back up before entering said house? No. Does she even handcuff Speltzer after he is knocked out (after he tried to kill her)? No.

Instead of understanding Dexter's Code and its purpose, maybe she just needs to go back to the Police Academy.

But it's about time that Dexter brought up how he hand fed Deb the information that got her all of her promotions, starting with the promotion into Homicide on the Ice Truck Killer case.

Can't help but notice that she's grown a little bit. All the while that Dexter was stalking Speltzer, Deb was stalking Dexter. Cat and mouse much?

I guess that makes Louis the cheese. After pushing Dexter too far, Dexter really indulged in his mastery of manipulation. Not only did Dexter cause Batista's sister, Jamie to break up with Louis, but he also set into motion the events which led Masuka to fire Louis.

To top off Louis' day, the Ukrainian mobster, Isaac, then killed him. Can't say I'll miss him. Who tries to sink another man's boat? Are there no boundaries anymore?

Speaking of boundaries, I'm sure Quinn is crossing some by becoming "involved" with Nadia, the stripper. Whether he is just trading information or becoming romantically entangled, neither looks good for either of them.

But back to Louis' death. Isaac's confirmation of Viktor's death led him to Dexter's boat, which had Louis on it. Louis sadly let slip before he died that Dexter is the culprit for Viktor's disappearance (Will those interns ever stop being a nuisance?).

But all of this came after the conversation that Dexter and Isaac shared at the strip club, which was priceless. Oh what a tangled web we weave, when all we want is to kill someone.

But what is Hannah McKay's angle? If even her plants draw blood, she's more than a little shady. As the ex lover of now dead serial killer Dwayne, I can only hope that isn’t her type. The fact that she so obviously affected Dexter is worrisome; when you're a serial killer you can't afford to be making mistakes.

Today he drops a swab; tomorrow it's a blood slide. Oh wait he's already done that, proof that Dexter has enough on his plate right now, and on his kill table.

So much so that we didn't even see Harrison this episode! I understand that 'small child' and 'serial killer' don’t exactly go well together as a genre, but he's adorable and even a little blip of him would be much appreciated.

"Everything's changed. I don't know if it can be the same again," Deb says dejectedly, and I couldn't agree more. The price of Dexter's freedom remains to be seen, but I don't see donuts in Dexter's future anytime soon.